Sepultura
Portsmouth Pyramids
31/03/06
It’s important to remember that 10 years ago Sepultura were headlining venues the size of Portsmouth’s Pyramid Centre. However, since that fateful 1996 UK tour, Sepultura have had a hard time of it. Dividing critics and fans alike with their new direction; seemingly shunning their tribal thrash feel of old for a
more percussive, groove orientated sound. Complimented by the new vocal stylings of Derrick Greene, the band have struggled to convince fans that a post-Max Cavalera Sepultura is still able to produce music of the quality of such seminal thrash classics as ‘Beneath The Remains’ and ‘Arise‘.
Opening with ‘Refuse/Resist’ it immediately becomes apparent that for a guy as physically dominating as he is, Greene simply has no stage presence – and perhaps even less charisma. Nodding his head and shaking his fist to the beat, he almost appears to be intruding upon the energy built up by the rest of the band, who are clearly pleased to be still cranking out classics like ‘Dead Embryonic Cells’ and ‘Troops of Doom’. Stand in drummer Roy Mayorga neatly slots in for an absent Igor Cavalera, pulling out those oh so famous tribal drum fills with the type of aggression that’s great to see on stage when image appears to be everything, and long time Seps guitarist Andreas Kisser gleefully cranks out riff after chunky riff – possibly knowing full well that Greene just isn’t doing the job a frontman should be.
It may seem easy to slag off the ‘new’ guy, but when said individual has been there for nearly 10 years, you have to really take a step back and wonder what the future holds for Sepultura. They can still play – this fact has never been debated – but when a band who have released 5 records since Greene’s arrival decide fill the vast majority of their set with pre-‘Against‘ material; it speaks volumes.
A large white drape covers the entire stage, whilst an eerie blue glow eminates from somewhere in the back. Suddenly, it drops and the audience is blinded by piercing white lights as five men begin an undeniably infectious and simultanous headbanging rodeo.
This introduces the near full capacity crowd to In Flames, who have also been under pressure themselves in recent years. Arguably Sweden’s biggest export since Ulrika Johnson, Gothenburg’s most celebrated sons bring with them a much more coordinated and spectacular stage show to accompany the buzzsaw riffage and twin harmonic melodies that have become synonymous with the melodic thrash scene they helped create. The quintet have become well known for their energetic live shows in recent times, and all you can expect from seeing one is to have a sore neck at the end of it.
Although Anders Friden’s vocals are bang on throughout, which is impressive given the vocal range employed by the man within some newer material, the rest of the band appear to have forgotten what an In Flames show is all about. The sound contrasts sharply with the raw and sludgey sound Sepultura belted our ears with earlier on, sounding sloppy and almost indecipherably vague. The riffs are there, but someone’s forgotten to give them that added injection of machine like precision and power that they usually showcase with ease.
Refreshingly, however, it’s new songs like ‘Leeches‘ that come across exceptionally well tonight, sounding not one bit out of place alongside classics such as set opener ‘Pinball Map’ and ‘Episode 666’ – but herein lays a problem. A good 75% of the set is filled with 21st century In Flames tracks, leaving only two of their 90’s era classics and putting a dampener on the band’s set; perhaps even detracting from what some first time In Flames’ gig goers would deem as their “real” sound.
Coupled with minor technical difficulties, In Flames falter after an otherwise decent effort from Sepultura; which leads you to perhaps wonder who really should have been headlining tonight. A rather poor effort from a band that usually can do no wrong in a live setting.
Daniel Crouch
Whilst Playing the angel is making it’s way up the charts, the Basildon synth-poppers headlined at the new Wembley Arena, which has recently seen a £35m facelift. This wasn’t the first time they played the famous venue, and by the sounds of things, definitely not the last!
Lager without alcohol, guitars without strings, Lizzy without Lynott, whats the point? It’s like listening to music with the bass and treble turned down, not just something missing, something very very important missing. Phil Lynott was, and still is, such a crucial part of modern rock music that the thought of a Lizzy without him is just, well, plain unthinkable!
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Considering that Television Personalities were one of the first truly independent DIY punk bands in the UK, it’s nice to see them backed by a band the seem intent on keeping the spirit of 1977 alive and well.
You’ve got to hand it to Cronos, he’s done a fantastic job of re-creating the classic Venom sound. Even without the original line-up, new members Antton and Mykvs manage to effortlessly sound as inept and unsophisticated as the classic Venom line up with Mantis and Abaddon. And if you think this is a criticism, then you’re missing the point.
Its one of the coldest nights in London, yet the queue still snakes around the entrance at Kings College. Touts were of course milking the Sold Out gig.
The explosion of sound had people crowd surfing, and singing along to all their songs. As the gig wore on, their sound became tighter. Their tracks: You Fucking Love It, Bloodthirsty Bastards, Death on the Stairs and I Get Along were just as good as The Libertines, as when Pete fronted for them. You can hear the Ska influence echo through the prominent tinge of Paul Weller. The raw urgency expelled in the vocals, keep the songs alive like only The Libertines could have. You can hear and see the close bond between the band, and it gives you a sense they are here to stay. 
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It was refreshing to see a female vocalist carry the music whilst charging the infectious punk beats with more energy. Disobeying K8’s! orders to sit on the floor, an unlucky audience member received the punishment of having to strip through an entire song. It is evident from the gig that the band has benefited from their vast amount of touring experience. Fans were happy to sing along to the rebellion in-cited lyrics and it was apparent that the band deservedly picked up new fans.
The London Astoria, on a bill with One Minute Silence, Fifteen years old, and I’m standing there saying ‘who the hell is this? They are fucking awesome’. Six years later, five minutes down the road and i’m still absolutely blown away.